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Friday, July 31, 2015

Is your popcorn made? Is the crowd ready to start heckling? Today is the day that my series of Easy Patchwork Math begins on The Quilt Show. Just click on the button and you will be magically transferred through cyberspace so we can spend a few minutes together.

Today it's all about my favorite quilting tools, breaking down a block, and what the heck are components. Go ahead, click on the button, I'll wait. Please don't forget to come back! The best thing is the segments are all FREE! You can watch them as many times as you want, and as often as you want.

Well welcome back. Do you have any idea how hard it is to watch myself on video? Do I really sound like that too? Visit with me in the classroom section of TQS over the next few Fridays and you will learn a lot about quilting math and making components.

Each week you will be able to download formulas and cutting directions for sample blocks. Each week will become progressively harder.......but......in the process you will become a quilting mathematician and you'll never be afraid of quilting math again.

Speaking of components, Lil' Orphan Scrappy is officially a flimsy and she is full of components. This quilt was made using only Marcus Fabrics from my stash. The largest piece of fabric is only 5-1/4" square. This is a great stash buster quilt. Now to the pattern writing over the next couple of days.

Mazey wanted you too see her precious little face. She is my little doll......a real handful.....but a cute handful. We enjoyed our morning walk through the raindrops and a bit of thunder rolling through the mountains off in the distance. Love it! But what I don't love is being on the watch for coyotes and the occasional bear at 5:30am.

Enjoy your day and weekend. I'll be spending mine at the computer.....along with walks in the woods.

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Make the popcorn and have it ready while you watch me on The Quilt Show.com tomorrow!
The first class in a series of six segments will begin airing on July 31st. I post more about this tomorrow.

First I want to share Barbara's border on Grammy Squares. Those are 1/2" squares!

She used her 1" strips left over from making the hexagons. The borders look like a stained glass window. Amazing!

Barbara "stripped" throughout the whole class on Tuesday while she worked on the top and bottom borders.

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There is a lot going on under the oaks at Sew'n Wild Oaks. It's all good.....it's all exciting.....it's all making me crazy. I'm busy finishing up Lil' Orphan Scrappy and I'll finish writing the pattern. I'm teaching this at In Between Stitches soon, so I think I'd better get it done! The quilt will be completed before the class begins......now I don't know if it will be quilted or not......probably not, but I will give it a go.

I'm speaking and teaching a workshop in Chico next week at Annie's Star Quilt Guild. Mr. Joe and I printed and stuffed patterns all day yesterday. There's always a lot to do before a guild event. I'm working my way through my to-do list and turning it into my "done" list.

So come on back tomorrow and I'll post another link to The Quilt Show.com. Tomorrow's lesson is all about my tools of mass creation.

Monday, July 27, 2015

I'm putting more blocks together which will be available on TQS beginning this Friday. I'm trying to incorporate brand new blocks for you to make. I was just playing around with components and came up with the first blocks. I think I will try it in different colors which will really change it up.

This is more of a "standard" block. Easy to make with the larger pieces.

Now it's time to make a predominantly blue block to add to the mix.

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I'll be working at the shop today. I haven't been there in two weeks! I'm sure all of the fabrics that Melissa ordered are filling the shelves and displays with quilted goodness. I'd better scoot and start getting ready for my day. I love visiting with customers, and helping them select beautiful fabrics.

The shop is participating in the Row by Row Experience. It is so much fun to meet people who are coming in from all over the country. It's amazing!

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Get the popcorn ready! My first segment will air on The Quilt Show.com this Friday, July 31st!

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I've had the opportunity to view all of my segments. Mary Kay did an amazing job with the editing. I have her to thank for making me look good, and not like a bumbling idiot. Her ability to slice and dice the footage was amazing. Thank goodness she left all of my boo-boos on the cutting room floor.

In conjunction with each class, you will be able to download a formula for each segment, and a block lesson. The block lesson will show you all of the components you need to make, along with the cutting directions. You will be able to build on your skills each week as a new class becomes available every Friday for the next six weeks. By the end of the six weeks, you will become a quilting math whiz.

I'll be sure to post a link to TQS every Friday. This is all so exciting!

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

You can see my huge binder on the cutting island that contains all of my teaching material. I made all new "step-outs" to show and talk about every step of the construction process for my quilting components.

My beautiful backdrop was created by my friend Barbara G. She signed up for my Country Corners block of the month and completed her quilt. Barbara selected her setting arrangement which nicely showed off her blocks. This was a gorgeous backdrop for all of my segments Thank you Barbara!

Some more quilted eye candy was provided by my friend Irene. She made every block in my Patchwork Math book, which was no small undertaking, then she set the blocks between Courthouse Steps.

Even more eye candy was provided by my friend Suzanne. Her quilt showed off the fact that the blocks can be re-sized down to 6-inch blocks.

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Alex was very gracious and funny, and made me feel very comfortable while she filmed. Mary, the very supportive editor, was also there. They walked me through the process......in some cases multiple times!!! The Flying Geese segment was challenging. I got to the point that I didn't care which way the geese were flying or if they were flying at all!!! I only thought about banging my head on the cutting table a few times......but never actually did it.

If Mary put all of the out takes together, it would a hit on America's Funniest Home Videos. There are probably more out takes than actual material. She has a very challenging job trying to cobble all of the scenes together. I have complete faith in her and know she will do a fabulous job. Remember, what is on the cutting room floor, needs to stay there!

It's one thing to teach a class in front of students, and it's a whole different ball game teaching a class in front of a camera. The good news is there weren't any hecklers, and no tomatoes were thrown during the process.

The segments will start appearing on The Quilt Show.com at the end of the summer, or early Fall. The best thing is they will be available for everyone to view. You will not have to be a subscribing member of TQS.....but if would be nice if you decided to join, and have access to an enormous amount of quilting knowledge.

I am so thankful to Alex Anderson for inviting me back to TQS and giving me such a wonderful opportunity to talk and show Patchwork Math. I want to thank Marcus Fabrics for supplying me with the Past Endearments fabrics which I used in all of my components.

In my wildest quilting dreams I never imagined reaching this level....for that I want to thank you, my blog followers, and everyone who has ever taken one of my classes, or purchased a pattern. Your support, emails, friendships, and constant encouragement keeps me inspired along my quilting journey.

Monday, July 20, 2015

Whenever a box arrives from Marcus Fabrics......everything in my world stops while I savor every moment of the unveiling. Georgetown by Judie Rothermel and Ties That Bind by Deirdre Bond-Abel arrived last week.

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I've been so anxious to see the Georgetown fabrics. They are even better in person.

I'm going to start on a Christmas quilt soon. It's never too early to start!

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Ties That Bind is a debut fabric line from Hat Creek Quilts. I think a field trip to Tasmania is in order after looking at Deirdre's website. We can stay at Grandma's House during our visit. Let's pack our bags, I'm ready to go now and enjoy those views off the verandah.

Enough day dreaming. I need to finish up the final rows for Lil' Orphan Scrappy.

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But not until I finish all of my preparations for my taping tomorrow for The Quilt Show. Soon there will be a link to this button, and you can see me again on TQS, and learn all about Patchwork Math. It is going to be a mini-workshop. So get your calculators, pencils, and scratch paper ready. I'll let you know when to start making the popcorn for the show.

Friday, July 17, 2015

All this week we've been watching our grandson while his sister is at cheer leading practice every morning. After he and Poppy watched the last episode of BattleBots, I asked him if he wanted to join me in my sewing room. He was as content in my sewing room as I am!﻿

I've been preparing for The Quilt Show.com and have many little components pre-made. I asked him if he wanted to sort them into piles.....and he did.

Then I asked him if he wanted to make some blocks on the design wall.....and he did.

He started out small at first.

Then he pulled up a stool and got serious about his design.

The design grew......

......and grew some more.

Just like me, he would place a few components on the wall, then stand back and look at it.

We had a wonderful morning together in my sewing room. It was time well spent with my little Buddy. He sat on the stool for a long time while I showed him how to do the math for the components. He watched me turn squares and rectangles into triangles. He had his first geometry lesson with his Grammy.

Moral of the story, working with quilting components is so easy and fun, a 7-year-old can do it!

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Here's a chance for another giveaway over at Marcus Fabrics. Treat yourself to Christmas in July with this prize. Follow the link HERE﻿ and this could be yours! I would be super excited if one of my readers won their generous offering.

I'm working away behind the scenes preparing for my taping for The Quilt Show. My new mini-episodes will be in the classroom section of their website.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

It was another magical Tuesday in the classroom at In Between Stitches yesterday. My girls came prepared to sew, chat and they had a lot to show and tell. Susan just started working on her Grammy Squares quilt. She is off to a good start.﻿

Karen is starting to stitch her blocks together and learned how to make flawless "Y" seams.

Jan has a horse theme going on.....so cute.

Shelley's blocks are beautiful.

Jeanne is quickly getting her gorgeous Country Charmer blocks and sashings together.